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Mystery Cut Beef Ribs - Pic Heavy

CaptainSpaulding
CaptainSpaulding Posts: 368
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Alright, so I got caught up running the kids around yesterday and wasn't able to post on the additional research I did to try and identify just what cut I was dealing with here.

I think that it is just a long cut slab of short ribs. If any veteran eggheads out there can chime in and confirm, I surely appreciate it.

I had this longing desire to BBQ this thing like spare ribs just to experiment and see what kind of results I could get.

Here's the play-by-play:

Rubbed with mustard and DP Cowlick, raised direct setup at 230 F dome.

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First turn at 45 minutes. Misted with 50/50 Jack Daniels and Apple Juice.

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Second turn at 1 and 1/2 hours. Misted again.

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Continued with this plan for about 5.5 hours. Incredible amount of pullback on the bones. At this point, a toothpick check for tenderness felt pretty rubbery, so I wrapped in foil with a quarter cup of beef stock and put her back on the cooker for 2 more hours.

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After unwrapping, the bones just fell out, but the meat texture was still a bit chewy. The flavor, however, was spectacular. The meat was a gift from a friend, so I think I definitely want to find out if this is an economical cut and tweak the cooking process to include more braising time in the foil and find the sweet spot that will render this to a tender state.

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Any and all input as to the actual cut of beef this is and cooking process is warmly welcomed.

Joe

Comments

  • NoVA Bill
    NoVA Bill Posts: 3,005
    Wow now that's some shrinkage. I haven't done short ribs yet so I'm lookng fwd to the replies.

    Thanks!
  • Yeah, Bill. The footprint of this cut, raw, was about 12" square and 1.5"-2" thick. After cooking, the hunk of meat left after the bones fell out was probably 6" x 6" x 4".

    I'm hoping that my fellow brewpub regular who gifted it to me got it cheap and can get more (or lead me to the source). I tried to pay him for it, but he wouldn't take any money. I probably should have done a bit more research, because I remember reading about beef ribs in the past. I know Grandpa's Grub has posted a beauty of a picture.

    Little Chef also gave me some input and suggested a braise. I've got enough waves under the keel to know that I should listen to those wiser than I, but still possess enough dumb Marine swagger to attempt the impossible.

    Joe
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    IMG]http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g57/gdenby/DinoBones.jpg[/IMG]

    Yes, thats a slab portion of short ribs. One of my favorites, when I can find them.

    I've done them several times, but cut into individual bone sections.

    Pictured above, are some that I rubbed with EVOO and DP "Raisin' the Steaks." I let them sit out and come to room temperature.

    I did them over a drip pan. Because they were separate pieces, I was able to turn them a few times so each meat side was down. Took a little over 4 hours to reach 195 - 205.

    The meat was really good, very succulent, although I would have liked a little more fat rendering. There were some portions that were just as tasty and tender as a steak. Most of the collagen had gone mushy, but a few places were still chewy. They were not cheap, but much less than steak. I believe I paid $22 for 4. Each was big enough that I got dinner and two lunches from them.
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    See if I can get the picture in:

    DinoBones.jpg
  • Gdenby,

    Thanks for the input. I wonder if I may have cooked them too long?

    I did get kinda caught up running kids around and the plan was to cook by tenderness, so I never even broke out the Thermapen.

    Live and learn.

    Joe
  • NoVA Bill
    NoVA Bill Posts: 3,005
    You've gotten some great helpers I might mention thirdeye's site is another great source for researching a cook before you start.

    Good luck!
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    BrewandQue,

    I was just looking for a pic but I have only done them as single ribs. They have always turned out great. That may be your problem as there is a lot of cartilage that has to break down. If they are in a rack it may not be happening.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Steve,

    Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try them single bone style and see if I have better luck.

    Joe
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Joe...I went back and reviewed the original pictures you posted a couple days ago, and have pulled out my NAMP (North America Meat Processors) Meat Buyers guide. (It's kinda like a butchers bible per se)to confirm my previous i.d. This cut is undoubtably overtrimmed as shown, so it is actually impossible to distinguish between the beef plate short plate, or beef plate short ribs (NAMP items #121 or #123). I would be curious if there was any kind of "flap" that was trimmed off before the trimmed pic? Regardless, these cuts come from the underside/side of the cow behind the brisket. These muscles work very hard throughout the life of the animal, hence the suggestion previously to braise these. Perhaps in the furture you may want to try the braise first, then finish on the BGE if you want to add smoked flavors. Braising a meal in a Dutch Oven on the BGE is a very rewarding cook, too....
  • LC,

    Thanks. I didn't see any evidence of a flap, if I'm making the right comparison. Would it be a flap similar to the piece of meat on the membrane side of untrimmed spares?

    The membrane was an absolute bear to peel. I resorted to running the tip of my Cutco Chef's Knife along the rib bones and it took several attempts to get it off. Strangely, the texture of the meat seemed very similar to the muscle in the brisket after cooking, but felt soft as tenderloin when still raw.

    As I finished this pretty late last night, I sliced of a few pieces across the grain, perpendicular to the bones to taste. I then wrapped it in foil and tossed it in the fridge.

    Do you think that it might be worthwhile to pack it up in a doubled foil pouch with some stock and toss it back in the oven for a few hours too see if the intramuscular stuff will break down? If so, what temperature and for roughly how long?

    Joe
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Joe...Yes, exactly like the flap on untrimmed spares. Also keep in mind, when it comes to removing the membrane, the membrane is very thin....it appears you may have removed the connective tissue that actually holds the bones to the meat....hence the bones just fell off, as there was nothing to hold them on.
    As far as trying to render it tender, you certainly can try, though it does not appear there is a very large piece of protein left after the cook. To be a bit more economical, I would perhaps cut it down, braise/simmer in some stock with wine (on the stovetop for ease and economics), see if you can get it tender, and if successful, add some veggies and thicken it and serve it over some egg noodles or mashed taters more like a stew. It just doesn't seem economical to fire up the oven for the time it will take to render this cut tender. Or, if you have the Egg going anyways, toss it in there and see what you get. Nothing wrong with experimenting at this point. Wish you the best! :)